A Rare Flower
by SleeplessEngine
Summary: She lived and breathed the hunt.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm excited to introduce my story on this site! These four thousand something words have gone through many re-edits (and this is only the prologue, not the main story line). Each chapter will be updated every month (refer to my homepage as of why), the other chapters will definitely be longer but below is kind of brief introduction to some key characters in the story.

Here are some words/terms:

-One cycle = 500 human years

-m-di h'dlak = No Fear

* * *

Prologue

Her eyes were not quite blue, more so mimicking the color of ice reflecting off an aqua surface. And her pupils were not round- at the moment- but slits, like the feline creatures on the planet Terra. Her stare did not waver in the slightest as he squatted low to inspect her closely. She hissed, baring teeth with prominent sharp fangs. He was almost six times her size yet her gaze made it clear she was prepared to fight him tooth and nail.

"You not want this one, warrior." the Merchant spoke, stepping beside the cage. His attempt to speak the hunter species' tongue was not perfect, but considering the copious clicks and vocal intonations within the small statement, he was almost fluent. The male was of Slovarian descent, that was the most Al'Nagarra knew of his trading partner. Short and plump, his height hardly surpassed the pup in the cage. Pinkish pale skin was stuffed into clothes that clearly did not fit, and large marble black eyes glanced to his possession warily. Al'Nagarra had been scanning the dim lit shop filled with rather strange, and often illegal, items. The Merchant came every half cycle to this side of the galaxy, bringing intriguing things from his travels; not once had the Slovarian kept any living things however. Living things usually were of high expense, and their upkeep even higher. But this was not just any living thing. It had been ten cycles since he had last seen a human. He thought them extinct.

"She is ooman, no?" she certainly appeared human, though he had never seen one with such light and animalistic eyes. Her ebony hair was a heap of thick, neat, curls, and were it not for the cloth wrapped around her waist, her dark skin would have been completely bare.

"Not entirely ooman. DNA spliced with feline species from Terra. Had want subtle changes, like enhanced sense of smell and hearing, but feline DNA overwhelmed human DNA. Too wild to make proper servant." as if on cue the small human begun to growl, the rumbling emerging from her throat low and threatening.

"I thought oomans had died out." Al'Nagarra said, cocking his head to one side and gently clicking together the tusks on his mandibles as his curiosity rose. Not everyone knew the story of the humans. They were a fragile species surviving on a fragile planet that seldom anyone visited. Every now and then his species would meddle on their planet; even he had gone there himself- more so out of curiosity than to hunt. Some species found them a delectable food source. But ever since the Galactic Seven, the irksome 'peacemakers' of his galaxy, recognized humans as an endangered organism they quarantined Terra- which was the only planet within that solar system containing actual life. Eventually, Terra was forgotten until its only source of light finally died. The explosion could be seen from light years away, it was that massive and powerful. Al'Nagarra specifically remembered looking up to his home world's sky and seeing an unusually bright and large star. No one knew for sure when Terra's sun died, but rumors were the planet was decimated and humans had been declared an extinct species.

"This ooman not from Terra. Not even born natural way. Grew in synthetic womb." Al'Nagarra would have inquired more of the human's strange birth. But he knew the Merchant would not be privy to give up such secrets. Either way, this pup's existence was illegal- splicing DNA was a dangerous procedure that could cause immense suffering if not done correctly.

"If she is no use as a servant, what exactly do you intend to do with her? Sell her as a pet?"

"Too feral to sell as pet. Ooman pup scares clients." Al'Nagarra snorted, disbelieving such a tiny creature could be so troublesome. He stuck a finger through the wire meshed cage, tucking in his talin to prevent injury to the Merchant's possession. Immediately she lashed out, small teeth clamped down on the appendage. Her head thrashed as she tried to rip his finger from his hand, yet his skin was much too tough for her immature fangs to pierce. She, eventually, came to this conclusion and halted her antics. Her eyes focused on his finger; perhaps her young mind was wondering why she was not drawing blood, despite the countless times she had done so to others. The Merchant rubbed his double chins, interested in her reaction to a foe she could not intimidate. The yautja, the hunter species, were a powerful and terrorizing presence in the universe. They loved hunting, and would hunt _anything_ they considered worthy prey. They're brutal and had conquered numerous planets; even the Slovarians had once been enslaved by the Yautja tens of thousands of cycles ago. Their only redeeming quality was their honor, which dictated their whole culture. If the Merchant gave the ooman pup to this yautja, she would be well taken care of, though the male hunter would assure an uneasy lifestyle. Perhaps he was more suited to tame her wild nature anyhow. Perhaps she needed a yautja's strict discipline. Her upkeep was costing him too much; despite her size she ate like a beast, simply grooming her was a half day task, and he could not take her to a normal medical bay for health check ups (it cost him nearly four thousand pints to find a private physician, the bulk of the cost acting as hush money). He wanted to sell her for what she was worth, forty billion pints, but at this rate he was willing to sell her for cheap- if he could convince the yautja to buy her.

"If interested, maybe you take her." the Merchant threw in the air. Al'Nagarra snarled.

"I do not want nor need a pet."

"I thought yautja like challenges, this one big challenge."

"You think taming a _female_ ooman pup would be challenging?" Al'Nagarra had experience with human females. Compared to yautja females, they're not aggressive at all.

"She not fully ooman. And could be good use to you." the hunter clicked his tusks, thinking on the Slovarian's words. He brought his attention back to the pup. She was calm now, no longer trying to strike fear into him. She was staring at him with a youthful inquisitiveness.

"I do not know what she would need."

"No worry. I have instruction guide. I even sell her half price, 20 billion pints."

"20 billions pints!"

* * *

Perhaps Al'Nagarra was becoming gullible in his old age. He spent an hour of his time debating with the Merchant of why he should take on an illegal burden. He supposed what got to him the most was her extraordinary existence. She could be the only one of her kind in the whole universe, or at least in this galaxy. He hated the Merchant for knowing his weak spots. Male yautjas' were all about having rare things to brag about, it's what attracted females and established status in their pack hierarchy. He managed to negotiate the price to five billion pints (the Merchant refused to go any lower). The pup did not struggle when he brought her to his spacecraft. The moment he freed her from her collar, however, she took off. Her little legs had sped into a random direction.

At first he paid her no mind. She was merely a pup simply exploring her new surroundings. And they were the only two on board, so she would not come upon any other yautja. He did not expect her to find the engine room and he did not expect her to tamper with the spacecraft's main core. When he managed to track her down- the tiny thing was terribly elusive- he plopped her in his room and locked the door. Al'Nagarra pressed a finger to his temple- it had only been hours since he purchased the human and she was already giving him a headache. Fortunately he was old enough to be patient with her as he would with any pup. In his youth he would have certainly dealt a harsh punishment. With the human out of the way he gathered tools and begun working on the main core.

The device was a small, round, orb, molded from a piece of a star encased in a transparent metal that maintained its heat. It was hooked to a few thick and dense cords meant for harvesting its power. Apparently the pup had detached a cord and found it's texture pleasing for her teeth. The fact that she had even been able to unplug the weighty cord was beyond him. Maybe her outward aggression was a façade hiding genuine cleverness and intelligence. He found humans weak, but during his time on Terra he noted they made up for it with cunning tricks. Once the core was functioning again he immediately proceeded to the control room, inputting coordinates for his clanship and setting the spacecraft on autopilot. It would take a couple of weeks to arrive at his destination. By then he would housebreak the pup. The Merchant said she was four human years, to his understanding she could live to be eighty human years and possibly longer if well taken care of. He could not comprehend how humans lived such brief lives. The average lifespan for a yautja was at least fifteen cycles, and that was still young. He knew of a serum that could halt aging, but he had no intentions of dealing with a pup forever- in her prime years, he may consider it.

When Al'Nagarra went to check on the human pup, he found her sleeping form curled on his pallet, covered with fur blankets. He stood by the doorway, wondering what to do. The Merchant did mention that she took frequent naps, like Terran felines. He wasn't suppose to wake her during these naps as they were "good for pup's body", as the Merchant would put it. He crept closer, lightly stepping across his room as silently as possible- nonetheless her eyes snapped open and glared at him menacingly when he came too close. A rumbling growl sat in her throat. He crouched, resting his forearms on his knees. She didn't know his native tongue yet, and he didn't know a lick of Slovarian.

"Be calm-" he begun in his tongue, but suddenly paused...he hadn't given her a name. Oddly, it didn't take him long to think of one. He knew of a very beautiful and rare floral plant on his homeworld that strictly blossomed under a full moon (and full moons only occur every one cycle). By the time the sun rose the plants would have withered and died, their lives short, just like the humans.

"Be calm Ko'ja." he purred softly, and this was the right move for her eyes begun to droop as the mellow sound washed over her. In less than a minute she was snoring lightly. Al'Nagarra continued his purr and positioned himself close to Ko'ja. His thoughts drifted; what would the clan feel towards his new pet?

* * *

Six years later…

It'd been awhile since he allowed her in the conference room and she was baffled that he let her join him after pulling her last stunt. His younger brother, M'ndhi, still had pale yellow locks after she mixed the dye into his hair cleanser. She had found it funny and thought he finally matched the 'sun' concept of their clan's name. Regardless, he had tried to gut her alive. Luckily Al'Nagarra stopped him and talked him out of killing her. Her punishment was polishing all of M'ndhi's trophies (skulls, bones, and gems that took a skilled warrior to claim)- her hands had been sore for weeks. For her to remain in the conference room she had to practice more yautja vocabulary, which she went through for the tenth time before becoming terribly bored. The small tablet in front of her crafted a hologram, showcasing the words she had to know by the end of the day. She swept her hand across the synthetic molecular sensitive hologram, and the words jumbled together. Gradually they spread out, forming a line of options to choose from. She could either continue her lesson or watch videos from the intergalactic web. She looked over her shoulder; she was positioned rather far from the central round table where the Elder and the higher ranks of his clan sat. They were conversing loudly, clearly in the middle of a heated topic. She smirked and turned back to her tablet, picking entertainment and neglecting her assignment. She took earplugs out of the little pouch, hanging loosely as a necklace around her neck. She put them in her ears and lost herself in the latest dance competition occurring on planet Sk'Ia. The contestant she was rooting for was none other than Myr, a female Boo'ran who danced with an eccentric grace. So far she had made it to the top three contestants- and in just a few moments the judges would decide who was the best dancer in the galaxy. Her eyes were glued to the screen, her expression blatant with excitement. The contestants stood on a large circular platform, their forms flooded in bright colorful lights. The host finally appeared and fortunately he spoke a common tongue, Slovarian, so she had no issues deciphering his words.

"And the judges have made their choice!" he boomed into his mic, and the audience immediately fell into pure silence. He held a golden envelope in his gloved hand, taking his precious time ripping off the top and plucking the results with his fingertips. His eyes alone saw the winner, and he greedily pressed the results to his chest, suspensefully glaring at the three contestants on stage.

"And the winner of the annual Galactic Dance Off…" Ko'ja leaned into the hologram, her eyes widened and she could barely keep herself from jumping up and down.

"Is…"

"Is! Is! Is!" she chanted back. The host looked at the results one more time.

"And the winner is!-" and the hologram shutted down. Ko'ja screamed at her tablet, pressing the screen rapidly, trying her hardest to reboot it. But the screen remained black. The tech was brand new, so it couldn't have malfunctioned. There was only one reason that Ko'ja would miss the biggest moment in Galactic history. Her eyes sharply narrowed towards her Elder. He held a miniature remote in his hand- it had complete control over her tablet. His deep amber eyes were stern- he was preparing to scold her for deviating from her work.

"Elder plea-" she didn't get the chance to argue, for he interrupted her with one barked order, "come!" and she kept her lips shut. She grumbled to herself, infuriated that she would not know whether Myr won the Dance Off. She dragged her feet to the conference table, standing before her Elder's chair. He grabbed her wrist and lifted her off the ground, plopping her right onto his lap. Now she had to suffer through his boring meeting, without the distraction of her tablet.

"Your attention span is too thin." he chided and clicked his tusks. She wanted to make a snide remark, but knew better than to talk back- especially at such a close proximity.

The meeting went on for three hours and there was no sign of a closing. Ko'ja had dozed off for a few hours and was startled awake by a screeching roar that reminded her of claws scraping glass. She glanced up and saw the largest alien she had seen in her ten human years of life. It was encased entirely in metallic black, and had a massive crown upon an elongated face with no eyes. It's mandible was open wide, revealing ridiculously razor teeth. Ko'ja's instincts immediately kicked into motion. She pounced onto the table, looked the alien straight in its featureless face, and hissed fiercely. It was only when the creature began to static, did she realize she was hissing at a hologram. The room erupted in laughter, the sound of rapidly clicking tusks echoed off the walls.

"There is no threat Ko'ja." her Elder assured, although she had been come to this conclusion. A rush of heat consumed her cheeks, and she hurried back into her Elder's lap, burying her head in the crook of his arm. She felt his claws gingerly scratch along her scalp.

"You should be proud little one," she glanced at him curiously- what exactly had she done well, other than embarrassing herself.

"m-di h'dlak. You were face to face with a foe larger and stronger than you, yet you did not hesitate to stand your ground...but I suppose that was never something I had to teach you." and he was right. She had always been ready to fight to the death with anyone perceived as a threat, no matter who it was.

"That is a good quality to have, little ooman." An ancient of their clan, Yeyin'ja, conveyed,

"Sei-i, it is admirable." M'ndhi added, much to her surprise- she thought he still hated her.

"What is that thing?" Ko'ja asked her Elder, pointing to the unknown alien species now frozen in place. Her clicks had improved significantly ever since she figured out that the yautja click she hears in their speech does not originate from their tusks but by their tongues tapping inside the roof of their mouth (and depending on the word their teeth). The clicking of the tusks was merely a form of bodily expression that was no different than someone motioning with their hands when talking.

"We call it kiande amedha," he responded.

"Their kind has a hive mentality. Do you remember what that means?"

"Numerous subjects faithfully follow the orders of the head of the group. The head of the group is usually female, which we call the queen, and without her guidance her subjects become unorganized and often die off shortly after the queen's death or disappearance." Ko'ja had never encountered a hive type species larger than a yautja. And as she inspects the alien closely she noticed its dome was terribly familiar- she was sure she had seen rather a few of them in her Elder's quarters, as well as M'ndhi's quarters when she was doomed to shining his trophies. As her eyes traced the kiande amedha's long and thick spine she remembered a specific weapon her Elder had with a similar angular structure. She was sure she had even seen its teeth before.

"Before us is the Queen," her Elder continues,

"She can lay hundreds of eggs in a single night. And has skin nearly resistant to every metal in the universe. Her tail is tipped with a weapon sharper than most of my own blades, as well as her talons on her fingertips and toes. She is also equipped with a special kind of acid that melts through anything save for her own skin. And has the strength of ten yautjas. She can sense movement from over three miles away. She can adapt to any environment. And she can go into long periods of hibernation when food is scarce." Ko'ja gazed at the Queen Kiande Amedha with a new found amazement,

"She is worthy prey," she said aloud, and the others in the room nodded their heads in agreement. Such prey is the reason why her Elder bore the title that proved his rank as one of the top warriors of his species. To kill this creature required skills only the most experienced yautja have. If Ko'ja could acquire such a status, she would earn the respect she so desperately needed amongst the hunter species. She was already ridiculed for being human- and no one took her seriously, not even her Elder.

"This Queen will be my chiva." she declared and M'ndhi snarled in disapproval,

"You are female. Females do not take part in the chiva." and there were multiple grunts of approval.

"You forget, M'ndhi... Of that one clan." Yeyin'ja spoke, and the room became quiet once more, each reflecting on the yautja's statement.

"What clan?" Ko'ja questioned.

"There is a clan composed only of female yautjas who chose the hunt over child rearing. They have not been seen for…a long time..." her Elder fell into a solemn silence. Ko'ja's brows drew in concern. Since she had been introduced to the yautja species she had yet to come upon a female of their kind. Whenever she inquired her Elder about them, he spoke briefly and usually was quiet afterwards.

"Is it dishonorable for a female to prefer the hunt?" she said after a lengthy moment of no one making any kind of noise.

"No…" her Elder replied. She made no other comment about females, and eventually the meeting was shifted back to its original topic.

* * *

Four years later…

She was sure she was dying. Blood had come from various places of her body, but for it to come from her nether region was a first. And so much had come from it, no matter how she tried to bandage it. She didn't remember any activity she could have done to wound her vagina, and there could be no other explanation other than she's dying. So she wrote a long letter to her Elder and left it by his pallet, then went into the bathroom and sat in the massive shower, bleeding out, and waiting to die. By the time Al'Nagarra found and read the note, it'd been well over six hours since she remained in the shower. At first he was boggled by what she meant; he thought she was actually hurt and truly bleeding out. But when he realized where the blood was coming from he could not contain his laughter. All this time, his poor pup had been confused and prepared to be embraced by Cetanu, the God of Death. He could only blame himself for not explaining her predicament earlier. Ko'ja had reached an age in which she could officially bear children.

On his home world, he knew females had small ceremonies for their 'coming of age'. But it would be another three years before all yautja had to return home. The trip back home was the main reason the Elders from other clans have begun to converse so frequently. It had to be specifically coordinated, otherwise they could displease the females. An angered yautja female was already a handful to deal with, a whole angered colony could wipe out his entire clan. Their bad side, hopefully, would not be Ko'ja's first experience with them. Al'Nagarra convinced his ooman that the blood coming out of her was not an indication that she was dying. He washed her himself, and tried to explain to her why she needed to stuff a tiny cup into herself (he had bought the product years ago, as it was in the guide book, and thanked Paya for being prepared). He was sure a female could explain it better, and give a much better demonstration. But at least he tried, and eventually she got it. This was the easiest part of her transition, unbeknownst to him. Al'Nagarra was quite old and not as sexually active as his younger kin. He did notice she had a strong scent, but he could easily block it out- the young generation of his clan, however, found the task a bit more difficult.

It was common for Ko'ja to spend hours in the training bay with the rest of the young bloods after Al'Nagarra's session with them. They helped her practice hand to hand combat techniques and sometimes let her mess around with some of their staffs- the lightest weapon she could actually wield. The young bloods were used to her and nicknamed her 'Dahtoudi'- little knife. She had come into the area in the middle of a session, and all fifteen of them were effected instantly. There was no time for their teacher to react, as they all started fighting with each other. This was typical behavior when a female in heat was close to a group of males. Whoever proved to be the dominant male got the chance to woo the female- which was a whole other battle itself. Ko'ja was terribly perplexed, and Al'Nagarra was forced to become violently aggressive towards his students. Afterwards he didn't have a choice but to lock her in his quarters until her heat subsided. She isn't a yautja female, who are physically stronger than males. If any of his students had forced themselves onto to Ko'ja, her amateurish fighting capabilities would not have saved her. Al'Nagarra didn't originally have any intentions on teaching Ko'ja how to properly fight, but he realized, if he were not around, she had to be able to defend herself. She was locked in her room for two weeks; one week for her heat to end and another for the scent to disperse. The very next day, he brought her to the training bay much to her dismay as it was very early and she did not appreciate her sleep being disrupted. But the space was typically occupied later in the day and he wanted to train her alone without distractions.

The first month he spent building her strength and endurance, making her lift weights and run long distances for hours. The second month, he schooled her on different types of weapons and their uses, letting her get of a feel of each one before she settled on daggers, kunais, and other small weapons she could actually close her fist around. By the fifth month of training she had a good grasp on her weapons of choice, and her hand-to-hand combat skills significantly improved- she had even managed to land a surprise jab to his face. By the ninth month he let her spar against one of his best students- of course his student won the match, as his experience in fighting outmatches Ko'ja's, but she did not make it easy for him- she broke his student's arm and probably would have broken more limbs if given the opportunity. By the fourteenth month she was a seasoned fighter and Al'Nagarra no longer had to worry over her safety. However, her new found abilities gave her a driving passion to become apart of the hunt.

Without his knowledge, she forged her own weapons (thanks to his top student, Mir'Ka, who apparently became incredibly fond of her and got her whatever materials she needed and taught her the basics of weapon crafting). She was dead-set on becoming a hunter. It was a revelation he did not agree with, but he found it impossible to deny her of it. So when it was decreed that his top three students were ready for a chiva, he enrolled her as well. Of course he received major backlash, all of his clansmen rejected the notion that a human (forget that she's female) would take part in the sacred trials. But this was something she wanted, needed in fact. Years ago when she was a mere pup he had made a conscious choice to bring her into his reality- and this was his reality. His species took great pride in hunts, and she was raised with those ideals. Perhaps if she had been amongst females, her decision could have varied, but she had spent all her life surrounded by well bred warriors. She had just as much a right to take part in the chiva, and no matter his clansmen's' disapproval he would not deny Ko'ja her rights.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! And feel free to leave any comments.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm sorry my update is late! It took me a while to finish this chapter! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!

Words/Terms: 

Ulij-bpe Amedha - mad meat

"thar'n-da s' yin'tekai mei-jahdi" - "honor and strength, sister"

Mei-jahdi - sister

Mei-hswei - brother

H'ko - no

* * *

Day One

She'd been hoping her first trial would be on an ideal hunting ground, but this unknown planet was anything but ideal. Since she'd arrived, via space pod, it'd been raining- and the rain showed no signs of letting up. Allowing her wrist gauntlet to get wet was a foolish mishap- the cloaking apparatus built into it would be completely useless until dry. Her hunting brethren had been a bit quicker in concealing such an essential gadget. But they were also in the same situation, it would be impossible to operate the gauntlet without risk of it getting wet.

As young bloods they were not privy to advanced technology (such as gauntlets that were waterproof) until they could prove themselves worthy of their clans title. The cloaking app was the most advanced technology they were allowed to posses, otherwise they were left with only simple armor, few weapons and essential resources that could fit into a bag hardly the size of her head. Ko'ja sat underneath a tree with massive leaves that acted as shelter from the weather. The leaves must have been composed of strong material, for the thunderous rain came down with pure ferocity and the bluish plants did not falter.

She fixated her attention on sharpening her dagger while awaiting her partners to come back from reconnaissance. She had already scoped out her assigned area, the rain had erased pretty much all traces of prey activity- no footprints, not even a proper scent trail. And her mask, with a special attribute for detecting things her eyes could not see, could not find a single detail. Their prey must have found shelter hidden somewhere in this jungle like habitat. Before embarking on the trial Ko'ja had made sure to read every last bit of information she could about the furry creatures, called ulij-bpe amedha - mad meat. The title referred to the effects caused by the flesh of such creature- apparently, if eaten, one would be thrown into a sudden and brief moment of pure insanity- whether this was true or not Ko'ja truly could care less, yautja were well known for their over dramatic stories about prey they've hunted so she usually took their superstitions with a grain of salt. The ulij-bpe amdeha were not very large, compared to her brethren, but they were strong and cunning. The first trial required that her hunting party take down four beasts, one for each member; supposedly their fur would be needed for the next trial.

Ko'ja paused her knife sharpening, staring ahead into the intense rain as a dark silhouette approached. She smirked as she caught the scent of dead meat. Lunch. Approaching her was a yautja hardly a few feet taller than herself. His facial features were hidden by his dark granite mask, but much of his mute colored skin was exposed. Splotches of dark coloration, such as greens and browns, covered specific areas of his body like his abdomen and arms, a genetic attribute meant for camouflaging in environments with a similar color palette. Unlike his other brethren, Thwei-ja was the thinnest and arguably the weakest, but what he lacked in physical capabilities he made up for with pure ingenuousness. When Thwei-ja was close enough Ko'ja got a good look at the plump creature hanging lifelessly in his clutches.

"That is not enough for all of us." She said. Her mouth was already salivating at the thought of biting into such a fat, juicy, rodent-like alien.

"Indeed," Thwei-ja responded,

"This is not meant for us. It is for _my_ prey." Ko'ja narrowed her eyes,

"We can catch more game." and she reaches for the prey, but her hunting mate held the rodent higher beyond her reach. She snarled and swiftly stood,

"How long did it take for you to find it?"

"Why does that matter?" Thwei-ja said and clicked his tusks,

"In case you have not noticed, this rain shows no signs of calming. I have not seen one animal since we have landed. That may be our only meal for a very long time."

"So be it. Perhaps if you were yautja, your thoughts would not be clouded with hunger.-"

"-Quit your foolishness you two," a sudden bark resonated in their ears loudly. Mir'ka, the leader of the party, appeared behind Ko'ja; he took the game from Thwei-ja and gave it to her.

"Do not insult our mei-jahdi, mei'hswei. She is right, I can sense it. This weather will not disperse for a while and our prey will not show itself until then. We will bide our time and continue scoping this habitat." Thwei-ja knew better than to question his senior by strength and intelligence for he demanded authority in every situation. Mir'ka carried an awe inspiring confidence wherever he went and was wiser than most of his age- in a strange way his appearance emphasized these traits. His skin was not as muted as Thwei-ja's; he had long, thin quills along his biceps and thighs, symbolizing a bloodline of strong hunters. His features were sharp, especially along the ridged line separating his brownish tendrils to his forehead. His eyes were a gentle grey, and held a maturity not expected from a youngblood.

In this trial his party would hunt their own prey, but as he was the rational thinker in the group everything concerning basic survival was dictated by him- they were still youngbloods and still vulnerable to all kinds of factors. And he was especially aware of the dangers specifically surrounding the most delicate of the group. Ko'ja was not as fragile as a Terran human, but she was not built like a yautja. He knew he would have to watch her meticulously- not only was his goal to become a blooded warrior but to also ensure the safety of his brethren. These trials often killed whole groups.

Mir'ka sat beside Ko'ja as she immediately began skinning the rodent. Considering how hot this environment was she was confused as to why it had so much fur. Even the prey they were hunting had an abundance of fur and she knew, from the tedious lessons from her Elder as a child, that all living things have special features for a specific purpose. Their prey had lots of fur because it was necessary to its survival in this jungle. The only question she had to solve was what external elements made this feature a necessity. After skinning the rodent, she cut it into parts, wrapping it's limbs in a plastic that would cool and preserve its meat. She put the small pieces into her knapsack, attached to her armor on the hip. Then she gutted the creature, also preserving its entrails that could be used as bait. Afterwards she gradually ate its raw. Mir'ka had begun mapping out the jungle based on his team's recollection, all that was missing was information from Jann'ka, who had yet to return.

"I could go after him." Thwei-ja offered,

"H'ko, give him more time. " Mir'ka said,

"You know how terrible he is concerning directions."

"If he cannot find his own way back, then he will have many troubles in the future." They all knew Jann'ka was clumsy, which their Elder always harshly scolded the male for being. Jann'ka was the tallest and bulkiest in their hunting party. His eyes were a acidic green, his skin coloration consisted of vivid colors and psychedelic patterns that stood out like a sore thumb amongst his more muted colored brethren. To prey, these elements read more as poisonous and vicious, but he was the absolute shyiest yautja Ko'ja had ever come across. Obviously his skills in combat and hunting were attributes the Elder held in high regard, otherwise he would not partake in the trials. Physically he could be a better hunter and fighter than their team leader- his mentality was what needed the most work.

"We will not linger here. If he does not return in the next few hours we will move on without him." Mir'ka declared, much to Ko'ja's dismay- she didn't like the idea of leaving behind anyone. Mir'ka easily sensed this, and purred lightly,

"Although Jann'ka is foolish he can manage himself just fine."

* * *

Jann'ka was positive he had seen that same tree. And the only reason he was sure it was the same tree was because it had the same distinct and deep claw marks slashed along its massive trunk. It'd been well over three hours since he and his team landed on this planet. They were not given advanced navigation tools, and compared to Mir'ka who excelled in the subject, Jann'ka had a terrible sense of direction. He had been nervous about separating from the hunting party due to this fact, but if he was to become blooded he didn't have much choice.

It was no secret that the majority of his older brethren found him unworthy- but for some clan members his clumsiness was not the genesis of their dislike. He descended from a bad blood after all, a secret few were privy to. The Elder blessed him with a kindness few of his species possessed. Any descendent of bad bloods were outcasted and clanless- but Al'Nagarra took him in when he was only a pup without the protection of his mother whom had died tragically. The Sun clan had been his family for as long as he could remember, it was crucial that he pass all three sacred trials and become an official full-fledged hunter in his clan. Jann'ka huffed in frustration, and begun tapping the side of his mask with his claw, succumbing to deep thought.

He tried thinking back to the training session his teacher had given on basic navigation. The simplest instruction he remembered was leaving marks when exploring, which naturally he had forgotten to do. His next best bet would have been this planet's sun position, but the rain clouds obscured the sky completely. He did have a compass, but he had no idea which direction the reconnaissance point was. Jann'ka growled in frustration and continued walking on. At least he knew for a fact he was close to the hunting party; he remembered finding the slashes merely twenty minutes into his exploring. Little did he know, if he had simply walked past the tree instead of turning around, he would have reached his brethren in mere minutes- for they had begun walking the same way.

Jann'ka tried staying under the trees' thick leaves, as the rain came down mercilessly. Although the droplets didn't hurt, he didn't like being wet. He hugged his arms and rubbed them methodically; it had been blazing hot when his team first arrived here, but now there was certainly a significant drop in temperature. The jungle had become cooler. With his mask's built in magnifying system he checked the area half a mile from his current spot. There was river rushing violently and building in velocity thanks to the rain. He'd been there before, in fact this was the very location in which he decided to stop his exploring and return to the group. Now it was clear to him just how terribly lost he was, and this greatly frustrated him. He huffed and turned back around, and almost ran straight into Ko'ja. He was so bewildered his instincts took over his entire body and within seconds he had her pinned to the ground with his fist in the air. Before he could deliver the blow he was tackled by another presence.  
"Calm down Jann'ka!" Mir'ka growled ferociously. Jann'ka clicked his tusks roughly, expressing his discontent. Mir'ka slowly released his brother, and both stood up. They glared at Ko'ja.

"What?" she said with a mischievous smirk.

"You must want to meet Cetanu." Jann'ka snarled,

"You let your guard down. Perhaps if you were not so busy being lost, you would have realized we have been trailing you for the past hour." Ko'ja snickered, even Thwei-ja let out a brief fit of laughter, as for Jann'ka he was thoroughly embarrased.

"We will rest here for the next couple of hours. Jann'ka, I need to record your reconnaissance." Mir'ka said.

* * *

Yeyin'ja watched the youngbloods from a considerable distance. His state of the art armor hid his presence entirely, ensuring they would never notice him unless he wanted the attention. Little did the hunting party know, was that their sacred trial was not what it seemed. They were given the objective to obtain fur from a ulij-bpe amedha, which- indeed- would be useful for their next trial. But hunting the mad meat was not the only test. Frankly, killing a ulij-bpe amedha would not be difficult for Al'Nagarra's students. Their secret test was how they survived in this hostile environment. This habitat's warm jungle climate would not last long. As the rain continued the temperature would drop, so much so, that the rain would freeze into ice. By the next day this jungle would be covered in snow.

Yautja did not handle below freezing temperatures well at all. Their planet was extremely hot, and always hot, and their internal body heat was higher than most species. Without the fur the hunting party would last, maybe, a few days if determined enough to survive- with the exception of the human who would not be able to handle the cold. It took years for her body to even adapt to the hot temperatures of the clan ship. But perhaps she would exceed his expectations.

So far the group had made it well into the heart of the jungle. Finding a mad meat was a daunting task, as they are incredibly elusive creatures. From experience Yeyin'ja had only been able to find two of them the last time he came to this planet to hunt, which was around eight cycles ago. The hunting party needed four. This planet had not been chosen for the trials in nearly ten cycles. Because of its hazards, it was common for all members of a youngblood hunting party to perish. He remembered the last time the clan finally had a success- that was nearly twenty cycles ago, and only one youngblood survived. Since then, not too many yautja venture to this planet, save for himself. Sometimes he came to replenish his supply of mad meat fur- every now and then someone was willing to pay a million pints for a coat of his creation.

But he would not be able to help the hunting party in anyway- it was strictly forbidden. All he could do was witness their actions as he would be their judge if they passed the trial. He was sure the human would die first, and perhaps Thwei-ja as well for he has less body mass than his other brothers. Being smart got him far enough, but in some situations strength and instinct ruled over intelligence. Once having the furs the group would be left to the elements for a year- that was how long the snow lasted. Food would be scarce, which would push their psychological and physical limits. True blooded yautja understood the risks of the hunt. And a true warrior would go through the lowest level of hell to hunt prey. They existed for these moments of pain and suffering, the adrenaline and heated passion of hunting. It was in these intense and thrilling moments were Paya, the Warrior God, truly blessed them. There was no point in existing if one did not hunt. And that was a hard lesson the youngbloods had to learn. If they were blessed they would survive, if not Cetanu would claim them. There was no in between.

Yeyin'ja clicked his tusks together, become increasingly interested in the group's decision to stick together. Usually hunting parties split up during the trials. But Mir'ka, the leader they had chosen, made it firmly clear that keeping the group intact was necessary. He didn't know Mir'ka as well as Al'Nagarra, but had always heard of the youth's exceptional intuition. The human, Ko'ja, followed his demands without much fuss, which was quite strange considering the feline femme fatale had a big reputation for disobedience. The only one she heeded was the Elder, otherwise she ignored most yautja- including himself. Jann'ka had always been a follower, he had yet to show any leader qualities. And Thwei-ja, despite all his intelligence, was terrible at leading. The youngblood was too egotistical. Perhaps if he survived all three trials these attributes would change, if not then it was inevitable that he would grow to be a lone warrior.

* * *

Ko'ja held her arms, rubbing her hands along their lengths as she shivered. Her armor did not cover all of her body and she brought nothing to keep her warm. She had never been exposed to anything below eighty degrees fahrenheit. Mir'ka came closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Stay close mei-jadhi." she leaned into his body, accepting his warmth. The rain was becoming colder and colder every hour. They'd been searching for miles, and had yet to come upon any clues concerning the mad meat's whereabouts.

"Maybe we should search on our own, it would be faster that way." Thwei-ja conveyed,

"No, we stay together."

"But-"

"-We _stay_ together. If you have not noticed this jungle's temperature has been decreasing since we arrived. Unlike you three, I have experience in colder climates. Have a little faith in me, Thwei-ja." said yautja huffed and crossed his arms, but did not challenge his leader's command.

"What kind of planets have you ventured to with cold environments?" Ko'ja queried,

"I was born on one," Mir'ka said,

"A female clan had taken residence on a small planet we called kv'var-de's luar-ke. My dame gave birth to me in the midst of a powerful snow storm-"

"-Snow? What is that?" Jann'ka intervened,

"Frozen rain. It came in an overwhelming abundance. The rain had a bit of an acidic property and had seeped into our ship's wiring. The power went out, and it did not take long for the cold to sneak inside. The females kept each other warm by bundling together until the wiring was fixed. As I grew I learned many things from their combined efforts."

"Why did your dame's clan choose such a horrible place?" Ko'ja said,

"They did not have a choice. While I was developing in her womb, their clanship malfunctioned. kv'var -de's luar-ke was the closest planet they could find to land on. It took many years to fix the clanship. The first time I saw our true homeworld I was nearing fifty years."

"I have never seen the homeworld. All I've ever known was the clanship, and the few planets we visited." the only life she known outside of the yautja was before she had ever met her Elder. When she was still a possession of the Slovarian merchant. Thwei-ja suddenly hissed, hushing his brethren instantly.

"Do you hear that?" there was silence, besides the sound of rain, which was becoming quieter as it transitioned to ice. Ko'ja moved away from Mir'ka, honing her senses. Then she heard it. The sound was horrid and high pitched- the sound of a wounded animal. She did not hesitate to run towards the sound, her teammates must have had the same idea for they followed closely behind her. It didn't take long to reach the sound, and what they saw made Ko'ja's heart race with excitement. The wounded pig-like creature was no longer alive as the mad meat took another chunk from it with thick, sharp canines.  
"It's mine!" Ko'ja growled viciously, immediately withdrawing the dagger strapped to her waist.

It was almost twice her size. Massive paws with bone thick claws were attached to muscular legs wider and thicker than Ko'ja's own body. Four deep green eyes focused on its meal; its mass of cerulean striped fur was lightly dusted with a mix of rain and flurries. Ko'ja examined her prey carefully. In terms of strength she was at an obvious disadvantage. And the creature wasn't so basic that she could rush it with a direct attack. This was when her years of training and learning the hunt came into play.

"thar'n-da s' yin'tekai mei-jahdi." Mir'ka said. And her teammates backed off. They would stay in the shadows and witness her every action. Ko'ja stalked forward, crouching and using the jungle's abundance of bushes as cover. She did not have the tools necessary for creating traps, and besides her dagger her only other weapons were a couple of shuriken. Her plan was to sneak behind the creature while it was distracted by its food, climb the tree it stood closest to and jump on its back, landing a clean blow into its skull with her dagger. She acted out her plan, and as she was scaling the tree, the mad meat suddenly stilled. She froze as well, confused as to how it could sense her; when it came to stealth she was the best in the hunting party.

A low and hoarse rumble emerged from the beast- "back off." it would have said if it could speak, but it wasn't referring to her. It's gaze was fixated ahead. Ko'ja followed its gaze and her heart beat started pumping faster. Another mad meat appeared but this one was larger and had a huge crown of dark blue fur surrounding its head. Ko'ja gripped her dagger tighter. Both beasts were distracted, and she was sure one of her brethren had already claimed the larger mad meat. If she struck now, she would kill her prize instantly. The large one roared, the sheer sound seemed to make the jungle quake. Ko'ja wasted no more time, she jumped off the tree and onto the beast's back driving her dagger down with as much force she could muster. The blade slipped into the beast's skull cleanly and it jerked wildly for mere seconds before falling limp onto the ground. Ko'ja smiled with victory; her first real hunt was a success. She was about to start skinning the creature, until a threatening growl reached her ears. The large mad meat was still there, and none of her hunting mates were around to deal with it. She hardly had time to react as the creature attacked.

* * *

The only advantage she had was her quick reflexes. She didn't expect it to move so fast due to its heavy appearance. So when the beast lunged, swinging an enormous paw at her with an angered ferocity, she almost took the full brunt of the attack. But she was quick to dodge by leaping to the side. She put up her arms, keeping the dagger close as the beast pounced again. It opened its maw, intending on wounding her severely with its teeth. Ko'ja rolled under the beast, and once completely behind it, rushed towards the nearest tree. As far as she knew the mad meats could not climb. She figured once she was far enough up the tree she could think of a legitimate plan. Just as she's nearing the trunk, she jumps and digs her claws into the bark, swiftly maintain a firm grip as she began to ascend. At first, she thought she was in the clear, but then a sudden wave of searing pain spread throughout her whole back.

She screamed, feeling blood run down her back in alarming heaps. Her focus wavered, as adrenaline caused her heart to pulse violently. The wound was already throbbing, increasing her agony ten fold. But there was no time to worry over her pain, as she fell from the tree. She did her best to land on the pads of her feet, but instead sprained her ankle from the harsh impact. She faced the monstrosity and managed to duck as its paw aimed for her head. It left its chest exposed and she dug her dagger all the way to its hilt into its flesh. The mad meat let out a pained and angered roar. She left the dagger, and rolled to the right, putting a little distance between her and the beast. She quickly removed a couple of shuriken from her belt, and immediately threw both, targeting the mad meat's eyes. She succeeded in ruining one of its four eyes. One shuriken nipped its ear and became jammed in the tree behind it.

She finally landed a significant blow, but wasn't too proud in making it extra upset. Her own time was limited as the wound on her back continued to throb, and with the amount of blood she was losing- she needed to end this. The mad meat attacked again, but she held her ground- with her ankle sprained she wouldn't be able to out maneuver as well as she'd like so she had no choice but to face it dead on. The mad meat opened its maw once more, possibly intending on eating her whole- and it was certainly large enough to do so. But she had no intentions on dying, and with fast and precise movements forced the dagger out of the beast's chest and rolled under its body. It's reflexes were quick, and it was already attempting to chomp down her again, but with a fierce cry she drove the dagger into the roof of its mouth straight through the palate and into its skull.

The beast backed off, and flung itself to the ground, writhing in intense pain. She won her first battle- this revelation sparked something within her that she could not quite describe. It was like a surge of power was being pumped through her blood, she felt more energized than ever, even though she could feel the effects of blood loss sneaking up on her. As much as she wanted to revel in this strange and invigorating feeling she had to finish off her prey. The yautja did not believe in letting prey suffer, no matter the damage it inflected upon oneself. So she removed her last shuriken stuck in the tree trunk and slit the creature's throat. It twitched for another twenty seconds before succumbing to the infinite sleep.

Ko'ja would have loved to collapse right then and there, but she had to take care of her back. And she knew what she had to do would not be pleasant at all. In the few things the hunting party was allowed to bring on their trial, Ko'ja made sure to pack heating rocks- a device that was good for sealing deep wounds. The rock came in a smooth form that could fit into the palm of your hand, but with the press of a button could expand and shrink as much as needed. She expanded to the size of her back and set the temperature to around a hundred degrees fahrenheit. The rock lye on the ground and she had to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to do. It would have been ideal to do this in a more secluded space, and she hoped she didn't pass out after the procedure. As an extra precaution she stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth; she knew she would scream and the last thing she wanted was for another predator to hear her. Although her teammates were supposed to be near by, she had yet to see any signs of them. As far as she knew they could have left her to find their own mad meats. Either way, she was on her own for now. She counted to five in her head, clenched her hands, gritted the cloth tightly, and leaned back onto the rock.

* * *

Jann'ka wiped the blood on his claws onto the mad meat's fur. All he could think of was how greatly they underestimated their prey. They were not that hard to beat, but they didn't expect so many in one area. As far as they were told the mad meat were solitary creatures. But it had been five cycles since a yautja had hunted on this planet; the creature's must had evolved into a pack species. That fact further peaked Jann'ka's curiosity- what dangers are forcing the mad meat to work together? Mir'ka did not stay to skin his prey, he ran off into the direction Ko'ja had gone. Jann'ka was not born when the humans perished, and had never seen an actual human. As far as he knew, based off of the jokes his older brethren would tell of them, they were not strong creatures. Some had even described them as honorless and loyaless.

He knew Ko'ja was neither of those things, although she did not heed authority, besides the Elder. Many from the Sun clan saw her as weak, but Jann'ka had seen her resilience. He thought of her as a subtle predator, the kind who transformed their weaknesses into their greatest talents- he knew there was nothing to worry over but Mir'ka clearly had differing opinions. Everyone knew of Mir'ka's soft spot for her. As of why, that was beyond any of their comprehension. He wasn't sure what his leader saw in the human that warranted affection. She was, indeed, beautiful and had an enticing air of enigma that was rather alluring. But Jann'ka doubted such obvious observations were what caught Mir'ka's attention- there was something deeper within her, a hidden feature that his leader had somehow discovered. A feature Jann'ka wanted to discover as well.

"Jann'ka, I found something," Thwei-ja said, as he yanked out his hand from within his prey's gut. In between his fore finger and thumb was a miniature square chip. Jann'ka clicked his tusks.

"I believe this is a tracking device. Check yours for one as well, I will examine the other bodies." Jann'ka complied and began gutting his prey, using his claws to slice open the mad meat's abdomen. He activated his mask's x-ray, scanning the form for a similar chip. He found it tucked close to the beast's spine. He pulled it out and showed it to Thwei-ja.  
"Is this a part of the trial?" he questioned,

"No. I do not think so," Thwei-ja responded,

"Look more closely, there is a foreign symbol on it, one I have never seen before." Jann'ka held the chip closer to his mask. When he wiped away the blood, he could see the metallic chip slightly clearer. The front side was flawless, but when he flipped it his his two hearts simultaneously seemed to stop. A perfect swirl with encryptions encircling it. He'd seen it countless times before when he was a pup- the last time he saw it was on the mask of the yautja who murdered his dame.

"Do you know what it is?" Thwei-ja said, not noticing his brother's change in attitude. Jann'ka clicked his tusks twice, and averted his eyes, choosing to focus more so on skinning his prey.

"H'ko, never seen it." this was a secret he would take to his grave.

* * *

Mir'ka found her unconscious amongst two dead ulij-bpe amedha. At first he had feared the worst. But upon further inspection assumed she must have passed out from her wounds which she had sealed herself. The pain had been too much for her to handle. He knew she had lost a lot of blood, and but there was nothing he could do to solve that issue. He couldn't give her his blood, as they were not the same species. He took out his first aid kit, that he made himself, and took out a vial filled with a neon blue chemical. He prepped a small dish on the ground and poured a few teaspoons of the substance into it.

Afterwards, he scraped off some bark of a nearby tree and crushed it in his hands, dropping the pieces into the dish. Instantly the bark dissolved into the liquid, and as the chemicals did its work, the substance started to form into a gel. As he waited he removed all of Ko'ja's armor, exposing her skin to the cold. He worked quickly, dipping his fingers into the dish, rubbing it in between his hands and gradually spreading the gel onto Ko'ja's back. He continued this, until her back was entirely covered in the substance. Fortunately, she was not awake to experience the procedure. Once the chemicals seep into the wounds the pain would have been intolerable. As the chemicals did their work he wrapped her back in bandages and left her on the ground as he began to skin the smaller mad meat. She needed its fur this instant.

The skinning process was swift, and after cleaning the coat he wrapped Ko'ja's body in it. When his other brothers caught up to him, he would have no choice but to camp in this area until she healed. They completed the trial anyhow, and it was only a matter of time when the clan would come for them. The rain had completed its transformation into snow; the blood splotched on along the jungle floor was gradually becoming covered in white. It'd been a long time since Mir'ka had seen snow, he was intrigued that the frozen rain was the same color as on the planet he grew up on. It made him feel rather melancholy.

In yautja culture it was common for male pups to leave their dames once they could fend for themselves. But he had remained with his dame and her clan well into his teen years. In the end he had to leave them behind and find his own path to honor the Warrior God. In his wandering from planet to planet Al'Nagarra discovered him. He remembered boarding the Sun clan's ship, having every intent on challenging as many members as possible before they kicked him off. Back then he was quite the troublemaker. He often fought other yautja, gaining experience and strength with each encounter. Of course he wasn't stupid, he only challenged yautja he had a high chance of defeating. If he had knew anything about the Sun clan, in the past, he would have never acted so foolishly. The first yautja he saw that day was none other than the Elder himself- and if had taken the time to figure out who the Elder was maybe he wouldn't have been beat so badly. He was sure he was going to die that day. But the Elder spared him and turned him into his student. He learned many things from his mentor, but the most important lesson his teacher had ever taught was a concept very foreign to yautja, especially male yautja. It was something his Elder had taught to Ko'ja as well. Perhaps that was why he took such a liking to her. She definitely proved herself to be a capable warrior, the evidence was blatant. The large mad meat mere feet from them had to be the largest one he'd seen so far- and he and his brethren had taken out a whole pack of them. She had killed two, all on her own.

He trilled softly, and held her close in his arms. He had already decided that she would be the female to bear his pups.

* * *

A/N: Now you may be thinking, "How could they possibly have offspring if they're different species?", well...I'm not giving away any spoilers. Next chapter comes out next month! Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I been working on this chapter for ages! But school is out for me (until september) so I should be able to upload more often. Thanks for all the reviews! I read every single one and I appreciate them very much! Also thanks to those for following and/or favoriting my story. I'm glad that you guys like it. As usual, feel free to review and i'm always up for suggestions.

* * *

Day Three

A small fire blazed close by, supplying little light amongst utter darkness. The three yautja had constructed a makeshift shelter from the leaves and bark and branches of the trees, large enough to fit their party and the fire. The wind was strong and howled constantly, the snow came so fast the team had to rotate to shovel out their shelter just to avoid being trapped. They used the extra fur from the other mad meats to carpet the ground. They had no idea how long the night would be, and had no choice but to wait it out.

Ko'ja was still unconscious- her wounds were, fortunately, healing properly. Mir'ka was examining the chip Thwei-ja had handed him yesterday, paying special attention to the unfamiliar symbol. Thwei-ja sat before him, wrapped in mad meat fur. Jann'ka refused to be still. It had been decided that they were not alone on this planet. Thwei'ja had given a theory, " perhaps the mad meats are being tamed" he had said. The only mad meat not tagged was Ko'ja's first kill. Mir'ka had a bad feeling in his gut. He worried whether this unknown individual was watching them. The best course of action was to feign ignorance of their situation- they had no idea who their enemy was or the enemy's intentions. Ko'ja was also in no position to move swiftly.

"This night has persisted for twenty five hours," Jann'ka said, he'd been pacing back and forth, failing to release the tension building in his body.

"That's longer than night on the homeworld. Or any planet I have ever ventured."

"What do you suggest we do? It's pitch black, even with our masks' night vision the snow will blind our view. I highly doubt any of us would last a few hours out there without this fire." Thwei-ja added.

"There is nothing to do but wait." Mir'ka said, and his brethren squirmed in dismay. Yautja did not do well in small spaces for long periods of time. When he was a pup, he remembered the often brawls amongst the females. Although most endured the cramped spaces, some females had been killed due to the loss of their sanity. He hoped, as much as his brethren, that the storm would pass by soon. If Jann'ka lost control of his mental state, Mir'ka wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop him. The large yautja wasn't the brightest in the group, but his strength rivaled his leader's.

A low groan startled the three; they all looked to Ko'ja as she stirred. She was terribly groggy and kind of dizzy, struggling to shrug off her body's lethargic state. Her back throbbed uncomfortably but there was no pain. She pulled away the fur over her body, and immediately regretted it as a wave of ice cold rushed over her bare skin. She hastily grabbed the fur and wrapped it around her form.

"Why am I naked!" she snarled at her companions.

"It is not like you have anything to show off." Thwei-ja retorted harshly, and received such a sinister stare from Ko'ja that he actually considered apologizing. Instead he stuck up his chin, taunting her.

"I had to remove your armor to apply aid to your back." Mir'ka said. Feline eyes narrowed at those words, but Ko'ja made no further comment. She was well aware of her's leader's strange enamour of her. Sometimes she used that to her advantage, sometimes she found it rather annoying. And it's not that she didn't appreciate his affections- she simply didn't have the same feelings. In the yautja language there are no words for appreciation. Such a concept was translated through physical touch, mainly by grasping one's shoulder and shaking gently or nodding the head with a lowered gaze. Ko'ja did neither of these things. She gathered the furs lying around her shaping them into makeshift nest surrounding her. Then she laid back down, snuggled into her fur blanket and shut her eyes. As fas as she could tell, her brethren were not going anywhere anytime soon. They had removed pieces of their armor and had weapons laid out all over the fur covered ground. She wouldn't waste this opportunity to rest and heal. Mir'ka clicked his tusks lightly as he watched her burrow into her small nest. He imagined she would do the same actions when impregnated with his pups.

"Are you seriously fantasizing right now." Thwei-ja grumbled. Mir'ka often daydreamed of Ko'ja. When they succeeded in the their trials and became blooded warriors, he had every intention to initiate the mating ritual. Until that moment he had to give her every reason to accept his proposal.

"Only Paya knows when this wretched storm will pass." Jann'ka seethed loudly to himself; his paranoia was ignored.

* * *

Yeyin'ja had a bad feeling about this trial. He knew something was wrong, but there wasn't enough evidence to truly prove if his instincts were leading him right. He witnessed the hunting party be attacked by a group of mad meats, a feat that was rather peculiar. He'd never seen so many together, as the species typically avoid one another unless it was their mating season. He'd also watched as the youngbloods pulled chips out of their preys' flesh. With his mask he enhanced his vision, magnifying the object enough to see its details. It seemed like a plain tracking device, roughly made with worn spare parts. His mask further dissected the chip, analyzing the elements composing the materials.

He was certain the chips were made with metals found on the homeworld usually used for creating toys for yautja sucklings. The metal was sturdy enough to not be broken by the infant pups, but an adult could easily shatter them. He was sure whoever made the devices was yautja, and must have a superior engineering skill to be able to construct such a device with fickle materials. As much as he wanted to explore the enigma he had to stay put. His mission was to watch the hunting party and he was interested in what they would do with such a twist in their first trial.

The group had built a shelter and were waiting out the storm. If the Gods were kind to them the storm could last a few days more. His full body armor provided complete coverage from the cold, so he lurked on a branch large enough to bear his body. The party had confined themselves in their hovel for two days. He wondered how Mir'ka managed to keep Jann'ka inside for so long. He knew the young blood had issues with being confined.

Sometimes, when his mind was less occupied, he would remember the day he and his brothers discovered Jann'ka. They had raided a Bad Blood hideout intending on destroying every single Bad Blood in sight, but the whole clan escaped. The clan had cleaned out the base, not leaving a hint that they had ever lived there besides a grotesque sight that had given Yeyin'ja bad dreams. What was left behind was a mass of corpses -all female yautja- sloppily thrown into a pile that was higher than Yeyin'ja. And kneeling amongst that pile was a pup as quiet as the dead. He had lost his dame and was holding her hand. M'ndhi had recommended the pup be brought to a female clan to foster him until he was of age to care for himself. But the Elder thought differently. Their leader knelt by the pup, placing a reassuring hand on his head.

"We can find you a suitable host to care for you, or you can join us and one day avenge the degenerates who murdered your dame. The choice is yours little one." and ever since Jann'ka had dedicated himself to the Sun clan. Strangely, the pup had been unwilling to share any information about the Bad Bloods who had tortured his dame's clan. It was speculated that the Bad Bloods could have given him a serum affecting the brain in such a way that their secrets could not be leaked. Another theory was that the pup was too scared of the repercussions of speaking against his tormentors. But Yeyin'ja had seen a pure rage within the young blood. He hid it well, but it was there. Yeyin'ja knew for sure that Jann'ka wanted to take on the Bad Bloods himself- and perhaps that was for the best. Who better to serve justice to the Bad Bloods than the one they had taken everything from?

* * *

The night had yet to break. Mir'ka and Thwei-ja found comfort in sleeping, just as their feline companion had. And Jann'ka did manage to slip in a few hours of rest. But he was on the verge of losing his mind. He understood staying in the confines of their shelter was for the sake of survival, but he had experience with being caged- and although those terrible times were years ago the invisible wounds he had thought scarred over were starting to bleed. He tried busying himself with cleaning his weapons, his armor, and even his teammates weapons when he ran out of things to do. He fiddled with his mask, fiddled with his own fingers. He had to go outside, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Shhh," the soft sound came from none other than Ko'ja as she approached him silently. He stared at her intensely, wondering how she could have sensed his distress when moments ago she was slumbering.

"You're making too much noise. Relax, save your energy."

"I cannot be here for one more second." Jann'ka snarled, not intending to sound harsh but his anxiety was at an all time high. Memories he'd hadn't thought on for years had come to him in an unforgiving rush. His dame holding him tightly against her frail body, the males forcing him away from her, her pained wailing, the metal collar they clasped on her neck as if she were a wild beast, and the chains they tightened to her wrists and ankles. He struggled fiercely, but he was small, there was nothing he could do to help her. He had never felt so useless. And then they raped her. All eight of them. And when it was over she curled into herself, shamed and violated. They shoved both him and his dame into a barred cage, and they were shocked with high voltage electric currents whenever too close to the bars. Jann'ka sunk to his knees and grasped at his chest, the memories hurt too much.

Ko'ja kneeled before him, and with a movement so quick it was impossible for him to see it coming she grasped his head, her hands specifically placed over his ears, and touched their foreheads. He didn't get the chance to question her as she began to hum. The sound coming from her soft and sweet, like a lullaby he knew his dame had sung to him but he couldn't quite remember the tune. She continued her song for a while, and by the time she stopped Jann'ka was soothed.

"See? All is well." Ko'ja assured. Jann'ka purred and lowered his eyes and nodded his head. Ko'ja sat close to his side, finding extra warmth in the proximity.

"I was thinking of going hunting soon. Unlike yautja, I cannot outlast this storm without food. While no one was looking I tried a bit of the mad meat- don't give me that look! I was starving! Either way it tasted awful and didn't sit well in my stomach. If you'd like, you can come with me."

"Mir'ka does not want us to-"

"-We have the furs. We should be venturing out instead of staying cooped in this tiny shelter. I have a very keen sense of hearing and smell, better than a yautja. We do not need to see to find prey." Jann'ka looked to Mir'ka and Thwei'ja nervously. Both were in deep sleep.

"I would feel better if you were with me. Two is always better than one. And I will be your eyes. Trust in me." Ko'ja said, her eyes- the color if ice- shining with confidence and determination. Even if he said no, she would still go off on her own. He wondered why she didn't argue with Mir'ka about leaving, but he knew his leader was just as stubborn. His leader would not want to endanger her.

"Alright, I will follow you."

* * *

The ground had accumulated nearly six feet of snow. The storm had slightly calmed, the snowfall was still in great abundance, but the wind had lost its strength. Jann'ka and Ko'ja were dressed heavily, from head to toe, in mad meat furs. They left behind their sleeping brethren and ran off into the trees. The jungle had changed completely in appearance. The snow seemed to have a strange effect on the tree leaves, as all of them have camouflaged to white, the tree barks became darker, creating a striking contrast to its white surroundings. The sky was a dark grey, a lighter hue compared to the previous obsidian black.

"Look." Ko'ja said, and pointed to tracks of a group of small, fresh, paw prints. She could smell the urine from another species, it was strong and bitter, but it couldn't have come from a mad meat. Their urine was almost unbearable to smell. She urged Jann'ka east, following the path of the prints. These animals had three pads on their feet, with deeper impressions on the front two toes, indicating they walk on their toes. They followed the clues, and found themselves by the river bank where the prints ended. The river itself had been frozen solid, with a layer of snow on the surface.

Ko'ja kneeled on the ground and sniffed the prints, finding a hint of a pungent smell. She closed her eyes and honed her sense of scent. It continued east but not that far. She took off her mask, finding it useless with so much snow- if she had her hands on a mask like her Elder's she could easily use an infrared system that could easily track the warm bodies of animals. Although yautja have a natural vision similar to seeing in infrared, their vision best worked on the homeworld where the environment is sweltered and every organism has a body temperature well above a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. However, on such a cold planet, Ko'ja's companions had to depend on their masks. And their masks were useless in such a storm. Ko'ja looked to the east, squinting her eyes.

"I see them!" she pointed to a tree; perched on a branch were small mammalian-like creatures, with eyes like red beads stuck on round furry face and skinny, black, legs bearing the weight of a fat form, and long brown feathered wings protruding from their shoulder blades. Jann'ka purred in delight, grasping her shoulder and pressing gently, a silent way of saying 'good job'. The large yautja sprung into action. He pulled out a combi-stick from his belt and with a flick of his wrist the stick extended into a spear with blades on both ends. His movements were precise and quick for a yautja of his size. He threw the spear and it jammed into a nearby tree with three of the creatures in its grasp. The other animals began to scatter in panic; Ko'ja took out a few of her shuriken and managed to lethally strike two of the animals before they all flew away.

"Will this amount suffice you?" Jann'ka queried, as he went forward to retrieve their prey.

"Sei, but this is not enough for the whole team."

"We do not hunger like humans. You know this." Ko'ja clenched her jaw, she hated when they compared her to humans. Jann'ka tied together the five animals by their feet with a wire and secured them over his shoulder. She followed behind him, even though he had no idea which way to go. Eventually he came to this realization and let her take the lead.

"You should let me teach you how to navigate. It's not that hard, once you have a good grasp of the basics- which I think you missed somehow."

"Missed?"

"Navigating is more than looking at the sun and position of the stars. Its observing nature itself. See, look," Ko'ja came up to a tree.

"The position of a sun and its rays on a planet can affect how trees grow. The tree branches tend to lean heavier on the side receiving the most sunlight. Even at night, you will know that this is south and the other side is north." Jann'ka clicked his tusks,

"The Elder taught you these things?"

"H'ko, I read them in books. I learned many things from books."

"I admit, reading is not my strongest subject." Ko'ja's lips twist into an amused smirk,

"You are big, and strong. Big and strong will get you far, but if you want to go farther, you should develop your mind." her words seemed to resonate within Jann'ka. The Sun clan was not particularly known for being the most scholarly, but if he wanted to rise higher in rank it would take more than training his body.

"Sei-i, you are right. Perhaps you would be willing to teach me?"

* * *

They were halfway from their campsite, when seeing Mir'ka approaching them. At first, Ko'ja was glad to see him- though a bit frustrated that he had left the shelter. Did he not trust her to find her way back? But as their leader drew closer, his long strides quickening, she knew something wasn't right. Jann'ka paused and dropped the animal corpses, as he emitted a low growl. Ko'ja could feel the tension in both of them and stepped between them, hoping to diffuse whatever was forming.

"Mir'ka." she started gently, but the anger she could feel from him, like standing dangerously close to an intense fire, forced her into a defensive stance.

"Move Ko'ja." Jann'ka said, and that's when their leader charged. Jann'ka pushed her out of the way and took the full brunt of Mir'ka's assault.

"Stop this!" Ko'ja screamed at them, but it was no use. It was just like before, in the training area. She knew she wasn't in heat, it would be another month before she had to take that into consideration. She had no idea why her leader was acting this way.

Mir'ka was on top of Jann'ka, pounding at his face, until Jann'ka grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him to the side. In a haste, he grabbed him again, and smashed him against a tree. Mir'ka recovered fast and barreled into Jann'ka, lifting the large yautja over his shoulder and then falling back, the full brunt of his weight crushing Jann'ka into the ground causing him to roar out in pain. Ko'ja was frightened, but she had to stop them somehow. She had no idea what she was doing and she didn't take anytime to think on it. She rushed to the fighting pair, and jumped on Mir'ka wrapping her legs around his neck and pulling at his mask. She felt him grab her painfully by her biceps, and threw her. She landed on snow, and tried to stand but a petrifying roar sealed her to the ground. Mir'ka was stomping towards her, a boiling rage in his movement. He grabbed her rough, clenching her arms in an iron grip with one hand, and pinned her to the ground. He pulled at her furs, ripping the lower half away, and once flesh was exposed he spread her legs.

"Mir'ka please," Ko'ja was on the verge of tears

"Stop, don't do this to me." He was far gone. And if she had been alone he would have committed a dishonorable and unforgivable act. But Jann'ka came up behind him and forced his leader into a choke hold.

"Your presence is what is causing this!" he shouted,

"Go!" She didn't hesitate. She took the animal corpses and escaped further into the jungle not once looking back.

* * *

Thwei'ja had never seen Mir'ka so enraged. It began when his leader had woken to find Jann'ka and Ko'ja missing. Thwei'ja had been awake for a couple of hours, warming himself by the fire. He didn't care that the brute and feline of their group had left the shelter. On their own they would return...or not. He didn't particularly care for either of them. But his leader had different feelings.

"Where is she!" Mir'ka had snarled, his mandibles flaring,

"They will return of their own volition. You ought to calm down." but his leader became more flustered. They all knew how head strong Ko'ja was, the most anyone could offer her were suggestions for she only obeyed the Elder. Somehow the feline had bewitched Mir'ka, and her spell has made him evermore obsessive. Thwei'ja could finally see, clearly, the power of her enchantment. It wasn't that the feline had left. Jann'ka had accompanied her. She was in the company of another male, one who was more of a threat to Mir'ka's authority than Thwei'ja. It was obvious that instinct was the main perpetrator here.

"I will go look for them, stay here." Mir'ka said, and before Thwei'ja could argue his leader left in a hurry. He huffed to himself, and clenched the furs closer to his form. Of course he had no interest in the human- and neither did Jann'ka- but it was insulting to be seen as the weakest. He was smaller than the average yautja, he was skinnier than the average yautja; he had to rely on brains to survive amongst his own species.

His dame had done him a favor by not killing him as a suckling, but she had treated him poorly though not as harsh as his other brothers and sisters. They had picked on him, often beat on him, and often he starved for days as his own siblings would withhold food from him. He learned nothing from his mother. He taught himself to hunt. He taught himself to read and write. He read as many books he could get his hands on. Before he was the appropriate age to leave his dame he ran away. He had been alone for so many years. Then ended up stuck in densely populated city, called Syrath, counseled by few female yautja- the rest of the citizens were either slaves, merchants, or veteran male yaujta. Three districts encircled the palace where the females lived. The first district was closest to the palace, where yautja who had grown tired of the hunt retired immersing themselves in books or politics. Sometimes other important diplomats from various planets resided there as well, though they never stayed long. The second district was where the merchants set up a massive market, selling and trading amongst one another. The third district was where slaves worked fields and raised cattle. All slaves were from another planet that the yautja had conquered. Thwei'ja had found a home in the third district.

He had no money so he usually stole from merchants during the day, and by night he would sleep peacefully with the slaves who had taken him in. They couldn't afford to feed him during the day-they could hardly afford to feed themselves- but he was always welcome during supper time. They'd been so kind to him; they had taught him that compassion does exist in his cruel existence. He had hoped to live with them forever, until he was caught for stealing metal parts from a Ryn'Marian merchant. The penalty for thieving was severe, but after presenting a talent for machines- a talent he often used to help the slaves- the merchant kept his crime a secret. In return for not warning the authorities he had to work for the merchant. By then he was nearing his teenage years. That day he had been running errands for the merchant; he had been walking through the crowded streets of the city, pushing and shoving his way through a narrow street. He remembered how awfully hot it was that day and how disgusting it felt to be surrounded constantly.

He was almost at his destination when the crowds began to disperse. Everyone was being ushered to the side by male yautja bearing the symbol of the sun tattooed on their bare chests. Behind them was the tallest yautja he had ever seen, strutting with regal confidence. His locs were greying, and were long- almost touching the back of his knees. It was the first time Thwei'ja had ever laid eyes on an Elder. He immediately knew this was his chance to finally prove his existence mattered. Even though he was an abnormality in his species he still deserved a chance to be part of a clan. He couldn't take on any of the yautja before the Elder- he wasn't stupid. So he used his most valuable asset that had kept him alive. He used his brain. Fortunately he happened to have something of great worth in his possession- something he was willing to gamble. Now all he had to do was gain the Elder's attention. He hastily scanned the area, and found the perfect place to stand upon to be seen by everyone. Once in position he took out a red jewel, a rare mineral that could only be found on a specific planet, and spoke the details of its value loudly. He knew yautja- especially high ranking yautja- love expensive things, and the Elder fell for his trap like a fish snared by a hook. Once the Elder had become interested all other pursuers backed off. He made a deal with the Elder,

"You can have the jewel, if you make me your student." and the rest was history. He left the city of Syrath and immediately begun training. And the training was what he imagined the darkest parts of hell would be like. He had to work twice as hard than his brethren. Some of them picked on him, but Mir'ka had his back on multiple occasions, and when his leader wasn't there he was quite adept at defending himself. He was small, but he knew how to fight. The only young bloods capable of defeating him was Jann'ka and Mir'ka- and perhaps Ko'ja, although he would never reveal that outloud.

Silently he could admit to himself that the ooman was just as clever.

* * *

He wasn't thinking at all. The same words chanted in his mind over and over again- she is mine, she is mine, she is mine, she is mine.

Nothing else mattered.

He didn't remember the fight with Jann'ka, he didn't know his brother's fate. When he finally came to his senses he was by the river, sniffing at Ko'ja footprints. They led into the river, which he knew was dangerous as the surface may or may not had solidified. Beyond the river he saw none of the prints, and her scent ended where her prints ended. A gaping hole stuck out amongst the white on top of the river. She had fallen inside, and he felt like the worst creature alive. He hadn't known what had come over him. First, when he woke up in the shelter, and discovered his teammates gone an unknown anger began its ascent inside him. Knowing that Jann'ka, the largest young blood amongst them, was alone with the female he had sights on. Something primitive, a biological design forged into his DNA, awoken within him. And the moment he stepped outside of the shelter it took over him entirely.

She is mine, she is mine, she is mine.

And when he saw her with Jann'ka his instincts went haywire. She is mine, she is mine, she is mine.

Mir'ka sunk to his knees- she was gone. He felt a heavy hand grasp his shoulder,

"We will search for her, together." Jann'ka said. Mir'ka shoved his hand away, as if the touch burned him. He didn't deserve any reassurance. Why wasn't Jann'ka pummeling him into the ground?

"She is gone. I killed her."

"No, she is alive. I have said many times, she is resilient." Mir'ka looked to the large yautja. Jann'ka's mask was off and a nasty, dark purple bruise was inflaming around his right eye.

"You are not angry with me?" Jann'ka grimaced,

"I should rip your head off. But finding the Elder's pet takes priority." Mir'ka clicked his tusks roughly.

"She went into the river. If she does not drown first, the cold will certainly take her."

"If she is dead, it is our duty to find her body. You know the rules." Mir'ka stood and looked down the river; he was the leader of the hunting party. He needed to at least act like it.

* * *

Ko'ja ran blindly, trying to create a greater distance between Mir'ka. She didn't know what happened to Jann'ka, but her burly protector had not been able to contain their leader. He was releasing powerful hormones, the smell was like inhaling black smoke- it was suffocating. Mir'ka had always been the calmest of them all, and especially doting towards her. Was it truly her fault that his mood turned so sour?

Ko'ja reached the river and without hesitation ran across. Little did she know the river had not entirely froze. She was halfway across when a patch of ice broke around her and she slipped into the water. The river still moved underneath the ice and snow, and she was rushed further and further away from the opening she had fallen through. She held her breath for as long as possible, and slapped at the frozen barrier above her. But it was no use.

Her lungs couldn't take it and she breathed in, she felt as if needles were being forced down her throat and nostrils. Tears welled in her eyes, she didn't want to die this way. Cetanu sent for warriors who died on the battlefield, to be killed by the elements was shameful. I don't want to die, Ko'ja heard her own voice echoing in her conscious. She tried to struggle on, but she couldn't fight the oncoming blackness curtaining over her eyes. She fought until the darkness took her. Her body went still, and the river did with her as it pleased, leading her down it's length.

Eventually the river slowed into a lake that stretched on for miles. Underneath the lake heat rose from deep within the planet, warming it and melting the snow. Her body floated aimlessly, and gradually found itself near shore. A silhouette appeared from behind trees, cautiously stepping towards her. It poked her with the blunt end of a staff. When she didn't move it came closer and pulled her out of the water.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow, I have not updated in God knows how long. I can't tell you how many times I've rewritten this freaking chapter, but here it is. I'll admit, I'm not too excited about it, but I'll let you guys be the judge. The next chapter is in the works. Definitely toss me some ideas cause I'm going through writer's block (*internally screams*). Anyhow, thanks to everyone who reviewed, liked, and/or favorited my story- it means a lot!

* * *

Day Eight 

Ko'ja awoke in unfamiliar territory. Surrounding her were enclosed walls made up of red clay and straw. There was no door, merely an opening obscured by large leaves and the ceiling was composed of the same. When she tried to move, her feet wouldn't budge- both had been shackled to a short chain bolted to the wall behind her. She fiddled with the metal, and eventually resulted to tugging the chain as hard as she could but it wouldn't budge. She pressed her hands along the wall, wondering how long the clay had stood here hardening until it's strength was no different than stone. She snarled in frustration, what could she do now? The last thing she remembered was running away from Jann'ka and Mir'ka after they had begun fighting. And then Mir'ka had chased her, as if she were but prey to mount.

She sat against the wall, trying to make sense of his actions. She was not a female yautja. She knew females fought males who wanted to mate with them. Males who proved a challenge got what they wanted. She had not been a challenge to Mir'ka at all. He had her underneath him in seconds, and was so at his mercy...it pained her to think about him. He had always been kind to her. He had helped her make her first weapon. Although she did not share his feelings, she had thought of him like a hunter would of his brethren. She had even hoped, when the trials were over, they could remain a team. Ko'ja let out an annoyed huff and put away such thoughts. Instead, her mind recounted her falling in to the river. She was supposed to be dead.

She scented the air and caught no hint of her hunting party. Someone else had rescued her- someone had saved her from shame and dishonor. She scented the air again, trying to decipher the species of her savior. There was a strong, distinct, musk, which most male yautja have though the scent varies for each individual. Usually the scent of their musk was the result of their diet, if one had a poor diet the musk stank terribly- like rotten eggs- but if the male had a healthy condition than they usually smelled rather enticing- like a savory meal to be devoured. The musk she smelt was of a yautja in perfect condition, but the scent was laced with a hint of sweetness, a peculiarity she's never smelt before. She somewhat relaxed, now that she knew who she was dealing with. But, in the end, she wasn't one of them- unless this yautja was of her clan than there was no telling how he'd react. She knew she was partially human, and that humans had not been seen for a long time. She knew when there were humans, some yautja found them worthy prey. She hoped this yautja did not fancy taking her skull as a trophy. She kept pulling on her chains, hoping with constant force the bolts would loosen. But the sound of heavy approaching footsteps stopped her actions instantly. The leaves covering the opening were drawn back, revealing a massive figure, covered from head to toe in dark armor and draping along his shoulders was a large cerulean mad meat fur coat. The yautja stepped into the room, his face was obscured by a mask.

"Let me go," Ko'ja demanded through gritted teeth. The yautja cocked his head to the side, his lengthy locks- reaching well past his shoulders- flowed with the movement.

"I will kill you!" she further hissed, but he stood there motionless- observing her quietly. Ko'ja growled, baring her teeth. The yautja clicked his tusks and slowly shifted himself into a crouch- still observing her. She huffed and gave him her back. If he was not going to respond to any of her antics than he minus well not even be there. She picked at the chains, wishing she had her dagger.

"What are you?" his voice was incredibly low and brass, like the purr of a large engine. It's sound was surprising and somewhat frightening and made her heart quicken in pace.

"You know what I am." he clicked his tusks,

"H'ko. I have never seen anything like you." Ko'ja snorted, what yautja had never heard of humans? But as he remained silent, it dawned on her he was being truthful.

"I am ooman."

"...ooman?"

"Sei-i." the yaujta came closer,

"What planet do you hail from?"

"I don't have to tell you anything." she expected that answer would receive an aggressive response. But he merely stared, and clicked his tusks.  
"I have lived on this planet since birth. I don't know much about outside worlds." Ko'ja faced him, her eyes widened.

"What happened to your clan?..who are you?" the yautja regarded her for a moment. He scented the air and grunted,

"There are others, but they don't have the same smell as you. They smell like…" he began to growl,

"You have males accompanying you." Ko'ja tried to keep an indifferent expression, but masking emotions was more so Thwei-ja's specialty. Her blunt nature was not useful for deceit. Just as the yautja was about to speak again her stomach roared so fiercely, it caused her to hunch over in pain. She gasped and held her abdomen,

"How long have I been unconscious? I'm starving!" The yautja snorted and without another word stood and left her alone. By the time he returned she almost succeeded in falling asleep. He carried a big chunk of red meat that dripped blood along the floor as he brought it to her. He placed it in front of her, and positioned himself close but out of her reach. Ko'ja grabbed the meat and devoured it so quickly she almost threw it up. The blood was good enough for rehydrating her, though she'd eventually need water. Once satisfied she licked at her hands, cleansing them.

"I have no intentions of harming you. I am just curious." the yautja said.

"You give me information, and I'll do the same for you." Ko'ja added and wiped at her mouth, removing excess blood.

"My dame named me Aksel."

"Aksel of what? Don't you belong to a clan?"

"No."

"You don't have a clan?-"

"-Your turn." Ko'ja gritted her teeth, a bit annoyed.

"I am Ko'ja of the Sun clan." Aksel clicked his tusks,

"Ko'ja," the name left his mouth in such a gentle way that she felt her cheeks warm. "I don't know what that means."

Ko'ja picked at her chains, "It's a rare flower, found on the homeworld. I have never seen it though." the yautja was still, not once had Ko'ja seen him make the slightest movement. She wondered if he was holding his breath.

"The homeworld," the yautja said after a brief silence. "What is it like?"

"I have never seen that either. You don't have a clan...Are you a bad blood?" the yautja moved then, standing to his full height which was absurdly tall. Ko'ja calculated he was, at least, nine feet high, a full foot taller than Jann'ka.

"If I were a bad blood, you would not be alive. And I'm sure bad bloods are typically male," Ko'ja cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes, examining the yautja more closely. His hips were curvier than a male, and his chest were a tad plump. He was a she. Aksel trilled, the sound softer and more musical than a male, and squared her broad shoulders.

"The storm has finally calmed. I'll come back with furs to cover you, then we'll leave."

"Leave?"

"To hunt."

* * *

Ko'ja squinted her eyes as she stepped outside the hut. The sky was a shiny neon green with few grey clouds. She could see a few large planets taking up almost half of the background, and a dim star peeking above them. The storm had ended, and the snow covered ground began to glisten like millions of shiny crystals. The hut had a good few of the lake that appeared like a rich scarlet liquor her Elder often drank and smelled just as strong. The scent was bittersweet and laced with minerals. A thin mist hovered over the lake, streaming into the air and fading. Besides the soft waves hitting the shore littered with black pebbles, it was quiet.

"A volcano rest beneath the lake. That's why it smokes," Aksel said as she fixated a small contraption above the hut opening. It looked like metal spider.

"It didn't use to be that way. The lake used to be cold around ten years ago. The volcano may be awakening from its slumber."

"How can you know all of this?" Ko'ja asked. Aksel secured a bow around one shoulder and bouquet of arrows, with sharp stone heads, around the other.

"I've seen it happen. On the other side of this planet. When it came it devoured everything. All that remains there is black rocks. The same will happen here, when the snow ends." Ko'ja pulled on her bottom lip with her teeth; if this was indeed true the others needed to know. She had no idea where she was, or how far the river had taken her. Aksel also made it quite clear that if she were to try anything suspicious she would break her legs. The comment was said nonchalantly, but Ko'ja believed the female yautja would carry out her threat without blinking an eye. Aksel had stuck a tracking device around her ankle, if she went further than a mile from her captor, the device would explode.

"What will you do when it comes?"

"I'll find somewhere else to be. Simple as that. With time life will restore itself."

"Or you could come with us. You could get off of this accursed planet."

Aksel was quiet for awhile, as they continued on along the lake's shore. Ko'ja wasn't sure what they were hunting, but she hoped it was the same thing she had just eaten- whatever animal that came from was delicious. After a certain point, they began into the forest. Ko'ja whiffed the air, the scent she picked up smelled like sulfuric acid.

"What exactly are we looking for?" she tried to ask, but Aksel shushed her immediately. Clearly this operation needed absolute silence. And so Ko'ja followed the female's lead. Eventually they came upon a massive cave opening, appearing like a black gaping void amongst the snow.

"What we are after is very dangerous," Aksel finally spoke, but in a voice barely audible.

"It's a beast large enough to feed the two of us for the rest of the winter, and it's skin is a natural insulator. It would make a fine addition to my hut. Normally, I would have my pack with me, but they seemed to have disappeared."

"Your pack?"

"Their large striped beasts." They moved closer to the cave; Aksel occasionally would pause and sniff the air. Ko'ja would do the same, not sure what the huntress was scenting for.

She watched the female carefully, noting how her tense body gradually relaxed. They stepped into the cave, but their approach was not stealthy. The cave was dark and damp. The granite walls were a deep red and purple, like a swollen bruise. The muddy floor kept clinging to Ko'ja feets, making her steps sluggish. Further inside they found a massive nest of leaves and twigs. Aksel scented the air again and then growled.

"The scent is old," the female grumbled, "it moved somewhere else." Ko'ja itched the metal bracelet around her ankle,

"I have a better nose than you," she said, "I bet I could find it." Aksel snorted and crossed her arms.

"This prey is good at hiding its scent." Ko'ja examined the nest, inhaling any area with an especially strong scent. After familiarizing herself with the scent she continued out of the cave, Aksel following after her, as she searched for a scent trail. She inhaled numerous times, sifting through a variety of smells before recognizing a weak scent.

"This way." she said and led the female yautja in the direction of their prey. They followed the scent for hours, before finally finding foot tracks. The beast's paw was three times larger than a mad meats. Ko'ja could see from the tip of each pad an elongated imprint of thick claws.

"Its close." Aksel spoke. It was closer than they anticipated. When Ko'ja saw it she purred in awe and fright. The creature was truly something to behold. White fur, thicker than the trunk of the trees, submerged its entire body. Long and fuzzy pointed ears swished, like satellites, listening for the tiniest hint of sound. A black muzzle, wider and bulkier than Aksel's body, was the only exposed part of the creature. Even its eyes were covered by the fur. It walked on four legs, but as they stalked after it, they watched the beast stand on its hind legs to reach up into the trees and pull down a leaf.

"How are we going to take on that thing?" Even the mad meats Ko'ja killed seemed like kittens compared to this monstrosity.

"The beast's fur is thick and dense. Their easily spooked and are reckless. But they're ridiculously strong. A single swipe of its paw killed one of my pet's. Yet, if I had my pack this ordeal would be less tricky." Aksel turned to Ko'ja, her purr was light. "I think two intelligent females are more than enough to take on this prey." Ko'ja smirked as her pupils thinned to slits.

* * *

Yeyinja was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed, as the three yautjas not too far from him argued. They had been searching for the human for five days and had yet to discover a body. Even he had tried looking for her, but wherever her corpse ended up would be her eternal resting place.

"Instead of wandering aimlessly for a corpse we need to figure out how to get off this pauking planet!" Thwei-ja yelled.

"Our trial was supposed to be over when we killed the mad meats. Clearly there's another agenda that we're meant to figure out for ourselves. Maybe there's a cloaked ship somewhere in this horrid jungle." Jann'ka was torn between the two. It was obvious he agreed with Thwei-ja, but knew Mir'ka wouldn't rest unless the human was found. The quills along Mir'ka's arm rose, his aggression blatant. Jann'ka stepped forward before his leader lost his temper.

"Perhaps Thwei-ja is right. There may be another mission."

"I won't leave her..." Mir'ka said in a low voice. Yeyin'ja clicked his tusks; the young blood was uselessly burdening himself with the human's death- he may be clever for his age, but he was still young. He was letting his emotions get the best of him, which was not a favorable trait for a hunter to have.

"If she is alive somewhere, then she is intelligent enough to protect herself. And if she is dead," Jann'ka said carefully,

"then I know for certain she would want us to move on."

"Pauk this!" Thwei-ja threw his arms up in frustration, "You two can look for all eternity for all I care! I will not fail the sacred trials over an ooman!" the smaller yautja stomped off through the snow, not glancing back once. Jann'ka clicked his tusks repeatedly and slow. He wanted to follow after Thwei-ja but Mir'ka was the leader- they were supposed to stick together. Mir'ka made the decision for him,

"You should go after him. He acts tough but he won't survive on his own. And...he is right. The priority is to do whatever necessary to pass the trials. I will look for Ko'ja on my own. The lack of a body must prove that she is still alive." Jann'ka nodded and headed after Thwei-ja but not before asking his leader one last question,

"Why her?"

Yeyin'ja trilled quietly as he also pondered the inquiry. When humans had existed, Yeyin'ja didn't interact with them at all. He never considered them worthy prey, so he never bothered going to Terra. But now he wish he had. Perhaps he would understand how the Elder' pet managed to seduce the clan's strongest young blood. He still couldn't believe the Elder would allow a human to take part in the sacred trials. Everyone questioned it, no one could do anything about it. Al'Nagarra was the clan leader, his decision was final.

"She is different." that was the only response Mir'ka would give as he turned his back to his brethren. Yeyin'ja clicked his tusks as the party split apart. In his youth, when he had been bid to partake in the sacred trials, his hunting party worked well together despite their differences. His group consisted of the hot headed relative of the Elder, M'ndhi, and his own blood brother, Jyn, who Cetanu fetched for in the third trial. Al'Nagarra had hoped the youths' varying personalities would be to their advantage. The human had been a wild card in the fray, but the Elder figured his apprentices were mature enough to deal with her.

"You were wrong Al'Nagarra," Yeyin'ja spoke aloud, knowing the Elder could hear him. "She was not ready. Neither were your chosen."

* * *

Over and over again Mir'ka's brain would persistently scold him for abandoning his hunting party. He hoped his brothers were right and there was a second part to this test. But the test would have to wait. He was determined to find Ko'ja, no matter how long it took. At first, when they couldn't even pick up a proper scent he became so discouraged he almost gave up. When he finally put aside his frustration and used his brain, his logic kicked in. A corpse can't hide its tracks. They followed the river as far as it could go, and found that it merged into a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. With his mask he scanned for any signs of a decomposing body- certainly that would leave a strong scent. But they were left empty handed. As his brothers ventured into the snow jungle, he continued searching the lake. Here there was an abundance of food and water and the heat the lake provided kept away the cold. If Ko'ja were alive, she would set up camp somewhere nearby. Often, as he continued alone, his thoughts went to Jann'ka's question. "Why her?"...Was she truly worth the trouble? He liked to believe so.

He wanted her in a way a male was meant to want a female. And he knew she would birth and raise strong pups. Sometimes he would imagine her with a swollen belly, caressing her abdomen with instinctual love. Whenever he had doubts of his affections his conscious would bring forth a memory, years prior to his candidacy for the trials- when he was still an apprentice hunter of Al'Nagarra. He couldn't even remember what he had said to upset the Sun leader to the point of blind rage. All he remembered was unbearable pain as he lye on the floor, bleeding out and suffering a concussion. No one had lifted a finger to help him- the other trainees knew better. He would have to bring himself to the healing bay, but he could barely twitch his limbs. Just as he had given up on the prospect of moving, a gentle hand touched his cheek. She leaned over him- he remembered how her eyes, despite their cool color, was filled with warmth. She was a tiny thing with long black hair curling along her fat cheeks and down her brown shoulders. She was so young then, a mere pup. Yet she had been the difference between life and death.

"You told me yourself, you want to lead a clan," she said, her voice teasing, You can't do that if Cetanu takes you." with constant prodding she forced him on his feet and he used pure willpower to make his legs move. He wholeheartedly believed if Ko'ja had not been there, he would have resigned himself to death. Originally he had been ashamed. He had accepted the help of a human, weaker life forms that could not even save themselves from extinction. But with time she grew on him. And as the years made her older and morphed her, his feelings of camaraderie shifted. Whenever she was around warmth consumed him, and when watching her move with feline precision and grace his double hearts would thunder against his chest with excitement. And when should would touch him, even in the briefest moments, the feel of her smooth fingers on his skin was enough to make him shudder with pleasure. When she wasn't present he yearned for her. When she was present he wished he could act on his libidinous thoughts. But he wouldn't dare touch the Elder's ward- not without proving he was worthy of her. Mir'ka shook his head and ended his musings. He had to concentrate. Somewhere, on this planet, his female awaited. He could only pray to Paya that she would forgive him.

* * *

Al' Nagarra paced back and forth in his quarters, he hadn't slept in three days. Perhaps M'ndhi was right, he was growing soft. His brother had warned him of allowing the human to participate in the trials. _She may have the blood of another. But she is still human. She is not us. She will never be us._ He disregarded is brother's caution and did as he pleased. Now he realized how wrong he was. He didn't know what sorcery had possessed him to make such a stupid choice. Maybe he thought she could be a proper huntress if he trained her himself. But even her training was nothing like his students'.

She had it easy compared to the agony he made the trainees endure. He had so much faith in her; he could admit to himself that she had become more to him than just a pet to parade around. He had raised her himself and taught her the arts of the hunter. He always kept an emotional boundary between him and his students, but she was not his student. He wondered if this was what females felt when forcing away their male pups to walk the path of the Hunter God. He felt as if a piece of his soul had parted from his very being. This was worse than any pain he had suffered in the toughtests hunts. He didn't even know what to call what he felt- it was such a foreign feeling. He had lived for hundreds of cycles, he had watched members of his clan come and go; the clanship had its own crypt where they kept their dead, some of his blood brothers resided there as well. Of course he had mourned, but it was a great honor to join Cetanu in the afterlife- his lost brothers would hunt with the Black Warrior God and their ancestors. But Ko'ja was not yautja.

He didn't know if she would be welcomed into the eternal hunt. He remembered learning of countless human religions that told of life after death- perhaps her own kind would take her. Al'Nagarra purred, the sound weak and dismal. When the first trial was over he would scour the entire planet, burning and killing everything in his path if that's what it would take to find her. He clenched his fists and growled lowly- if he found her dead, the one who had caused her demise would have his skull and spine ripped out of his body and hung above the training hall for all to see his dishonor. Mir'ka would not share in the pleasures of the afterlife. Al'Nagarra would make sure of it.


End file.
